Step into a world of prehistoric discovery as Fossils Galore brings a portable museum experience to the city centre. This hands-on attraction offers a rare chance to see real palaeontology in action, with live preparation of a dinosaur skeleton alongside fascinating displays of fossils discovered right here in the local area.

Visitors can get up close with history through fossil handling sessions, meet Ruby the T-Rex and her baby dinosaurs, and take part in engaging children’s activities. There’s also the opportunity to speak directly with a Cambridgeshire palaeontologist and even have your own fossil finds identified for free.

A small selection of paid activities and a gift shop featuring crystals, fossils and dinosaur-themed souvenirs will also be available, making this a lively and interactive stop for families exploring Dinosaur City.

Follow in the footsteps of a giant with the Titanosaur Trail, a series of 40 enormous footprints stamped across Cathedral Square and through Queensgate Shopping Centre. This playful city-centre trail leads you step by step towards an unforgettable encounter with one of the largest creatures ever to walk the Earth at Peterborough Cathedral. Perfect for families, it transforms the journey into part of the adventure — inviting you to track the path of a prehistoric giant right through the heart of Peterborough.

A 2001 excavation in Peterborough marked a defining moment in the study of Jurassic marine life, uncovering one of the most important specimens of Leedsichthys ever discovered. Building on the legacy of Alfred Nicholson Leeds, the dig revealed extensive remains of this vast, filter-feeding fish within the Oxford Clay, offering rare insight into a species thought to reach lengths of over 15 metres. Crucially, the scale and preservation of the specimen allowed researchers to better understand its skeletal structure and growth, helping to resolve long-standing questions about how such an enormous animal lived and fed in Jurassic seas. The find continues to play an important role in research and interpretation, strengthening Peterborough’s position as one of the world’s most significant locations for Jurassic marine palaeontology.

Alfred Nicholson Leeds (1847–1917) was a pioneering British fossil collector whose work transformed our understanding of Jurassic marine life. Based near Peterborough, he excavated thousands of fossils from the Oxford Clay during the late 19th century, uncovering remarkable specimens of ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs and the giant fish Leedsichthys, named in his honour. Working alongside his brother Charles, Leeds developed one of the most important fossil collections of its kind, many of which are now held in museums around the world. His discoveries placed Peterborough firmly on the global map for Jurassic palaeontology and continue to shape scientific research and public understanding today.

You can see some of his discoveries at the Fossils Galore Museum in March.